Method and apparatus for controlling an automatic winding machine



Jan. 27, 1970 R. JENNY METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING AN AUTOMATIC WINDING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 20, 1967 ATTORNEYS Jan. 27, 1970 R. JENNY METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING AN AUTOMATIC WINDING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 20, 1967 WRESHOL 0 SW/ TCH RELAY 31 \LAMP ACT/W750 WHEN MEN PRESENT 2 9 2 B 2 m 0 5 r 2 2 i .1 n d. M p E A Cd mwm M L RF. 2 w WH WUW 5m 63 L D 5 g M .1 TS F141... L F 7 W L ms s a M ATTORNEYS United States Patent O US. Cl. 24235.5 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and apparatus for controlling an automatic yarn winding machine wherein a winding station is automatically taken out of operation after a plurality of unsuccessful attempts to remove a yarn disturbance thereat. Yarn monitoring means are provided which, upon determining a yarn defect at a winding station, serves to produce a signal in a storage apparatus. Further signals are produced after each unsuccessful attempt to correct the yarn disturbance. When the stored signals in the storage appaartus reach a certain predetermined threshold value, the Winding station having the yarn defect is taken out of operation and excluded from being further acted upon by a disturbance removal apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for controlling an automatic winding machine or cross-winder with a plurality of winding stations or locations, each Winding station being equipped with yarn monitoring means and a disturbance removal apparatus or yarn tending mechanism which monitors and corrects the winding stations, the disturbance removal apparatus being capable of being placed into operable working relationship with each of the winding stations.

Measures have been undertaken in the prior art to count the number of disturbances which occur at a winding station of an automatic winding machine and to subsequently trigger a delivery bobbin-exchange operation at the Winding station after a predetermined number of unsuccessful disturbance removal attempts have occurred. Such measures have been undertaken so as to prevent continuous demands upon the disturbance removal apparatus associated therewith and the resultant reduction in efficiency of the winding machine when it has been found that it is impossible to remove the particular disturbance by means of the disturbance removal apparatus.

In the known machines of this type, the counting elements which count the number of unsuccessful disturbance removal attempts are controlled by feeler members functionally associated with the control shaft of the disturbance removal apparatus.

A drawback of these known machines resides in the fact that they cannot appropriately determine and differentiate between a new disturbance occurring shortly after the successful completion of the removal of a previous disturbance and a continuing disturbance caused by the unsuccessful attempt at removal of the previous disturbance. It is a generally known fact that a number of relatively weak locations or areas at the yarn often accumulate or occur during a short stretch or path of travel thereof. That is to say, the disturbance removal or knotting operation of a particular yarn disturbance can be successfully carried out yet the yarn might again tear after a few meters of travel and this cannot be taken into consideration by the known prior art machines since they "ice release the winding location or station directly after the knotting operation has been successfully completed. Accordingly, a yarn rupture which follows after only a few meters of travel is again counted which can lead to the ejection of a qualitatively faultless cop or bobbin after the unwinding of the mentioned defective area or nest thereof. Accordingly, although it is apparent that the efficiency of the winding machine increases, the operational economy thereof is considerably reduced because of this ejection of qualitatively faultless quantities of yarn.

Furthermore, another substantial drawback with the known prior art methods resides in the failure to observe or take into consideration those yarn disturbances occuring Where the yarn end of the wind-up bobbin or spool cannot be located or cannot be seized by the automatically operating yarn finding and gripping element. Such disturbances logically cannot be overcome or removed by merely exchanging the delivery cop or bobbin. Nevertheless, in the prior art machines and methods, the delivery bobbin exchange operation is still triggered resulting in the ejection of delivery bobbins containing faultless yarn, whereby it is easily possible for damage to the windings to take place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for controlling an automatic winding machine which effectively overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art and greatly increases the operational economy.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved method and appaartus for controlling an automatic winding machine which serves to automatically put out of operation a winding station at which a disturbance occurs that is not correctable by automatic means.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for controlling an automatic winding machine which serves to give an indication to an operator thereof the occurrence of a nonautomatically correctable yarn disturbance.

Now, in order to implement these and still further objects of the present invention which will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, the inventive method is manifested by the features that a yarn monitoring means, upon the determination of a yarn defect, prepares a storage apparatus at the affected winding station and subsequently delivers a storage signal to the storage apparatus, this signal being evaluated after it exceeds a threshold value to place out of operation of the affected winding station and exclude the affected winding station from being further acted upon by the disturbance removal apparatus.

The entire or total information as determined by the threshold value signal is employed for stopping or tak ing out of operation the relevant affected winding station and prevents the winding station from being further acted upon by the disturbance removal apparatus. Consequently, unnecessary waiting time at the disturbance removal apparatus is prevented as is the unnecessary elimination of any windable material which is still usable. Thus, operating personnel can now determine the presence of a disturbance which could not be automatically removed at the inoperable winding station and can manually correct this disturbance. As is apparent, this technique is considerably more economical than those of the prior art.

Naturally, in carrying out the inventive method it is readily possible to initially carry out one or a number of unsuccessful disturbance removal attempts before the relevant winding location is placed into an inoperable condition. This initial repetition of unsuccessful disturbance removal attempts can be undertaken since the storage signal delivered to the storage apparatus upon each determination of a yarn defect at a particular winding location is below the threshold value of the storage apparatus. Accordingly, the storage signal must be repeated after the expiration of a predetermined time interval in order to achieve the threshold value and place the relevant Winding station out of operation. The yarn monitoring means, however, upon determining that proper yarn travel has again been established, is operable to extinguish the stored information in the storage apparatus.

Furthermore, the subject invention relates to a control apparatus operative to carry out the above inventive mehod, the apparatus being characterized by the features that a storage apparatus is provided for each winding station or location, the storage apparatus embodying a charging circuit including a capacitor and a threshold switch operably associated with means to stop and place the winding station out of operation. Within the charging circuit for the capacitor, there is disposed both a first contact controllable by the yarn monitoring means and a second contact controllable by either mechanical or magnetic control elements associated with the yarn winding machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an automatic crosswinding machine having switching elements for carryingout a periodic monitoring or supervising operation at the y FIGURE 2 is a circuit diagram of the monitoring means provided at the machine disclosed in FIGURE 1'. and

FIGURE 3 is a circuit diagram of a modified form of the monitoring apparatus or means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIGURE 1, the automatic cross-winding machine or cross-winder comprises a stationary machine stand or frame 1 at which there is arranged a rotatable circular table or turret 2 carrying a plurality of winding stations or locations 3. At each winding station 3, a yarn F is withdrawn from a delivery bobbin or cop 4 and guided over a balloon breaker 5, a yarn brake 6, and yarn cleaner 7, parafiining apparatus 8, a stop bracket 9, and a grooved drum 10, to a wind-up bobbin 11.

The circular table 2 together with the winding stations 3 rotate during the normal winding operation about the central axis 12 of the machine. As is well known in the art, a non-illustrated apparatus is arranged outside of the path of travel of the winding stations 3 in the neighborhood thereof, which apparatus serves to automatically remove disturbances which occur during the winding operation. To this end, each of the winding stations 3 is stopped at a predetermined location or position along its circular path of travel and can be placed into operable association with this apparatus, the apparatus generally being known as a yarn tending or service apparatus or a yarn disturbance-removal apparatus. Since the function of a disturbance removal apparatus as well as its cooperation with the plurality of winding stations 3 is not necessary for the understanding of the subject invention as will be explained hereinafter, it is possible to dispense with any further discussion of the yarn servicing mechanism or disturbance removal apparatus. Such yarn servicing apparatuses are well known in the art both as to their construction and operation, a typical apparatus of the type contemplated being disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,304,015, granted Feb. 14, 1967, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

As will be further apparent by an inspection of FIG- URE 1, each of the winding stations or locations 3 exhibits a switch 13 having a switch roller 131 which runs onto a cam 14 mounted at the machine frame 1 during the circular movement or revolving of the winding stations 3. Accordingly, cam 14 closes switch 13 over a portion of the revolving path of travel of the winding stations 3. Additionally, each winding station 3 is operably associated with a control lamp 15 or similar expedient as will be described in greater detail below.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, a circuit diagram of the inventive monitoring means or apparatus is shown. From this diagram, it will be recognized that switch 13 of each winding station 3 cooperates with a yarn cleaner 7. Yarn cleaner 7 can be assumed to be of the electronic variety such as disclosed in US. patent application, Ser. No. 658,910, filed Aug. 7, 1967 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The electronic yarn cleaner 7 consists essentially of an optical or capacitive measuring cell 17, an amplifier 18 and a threshold switch 19, e.g. Schmitt trigger, acting upon a relay 20. The particular operational characteristic of the aforementioned yarn cleaner 7 is such that when the yarn F passes through the yarn cleaner, relay 20 has current applied thereto and, when the yarn is stationary or absent, relay 20 is without current. Relay 20 embodies two contacts 21 and 22, contact 21 being open when there is a proper passage of the yarn F and contact 22 being closed under these conditions. As will be recognized, contact 21 is connected in series with a contact 13 of the switch 13 as well as with a capacitor 24 and a current source 25 having an adjustable, constant current output. The constant current effects a linear charging characteristic of the capacitor 24, the capacitor being bridged by a relatively high resistor 26 so as to impart a discharge curve for the capacitor 24 which will descend as flatly as possible.

Furthermore, contact 22 of relay 20 is in parallel with capacitor 24 as well as a threshold switch 27 and is in series with a leakage resistance or resistor 29. The threshold switch 27 is operative, when the voltage applied thereto exceeds a threshold value, to supply current to a relay 28 coupled to the output thereof. When relay 28 is actuated, a relay or electromagnet 31 is connected to the supply conductors via contact 30. This connection causes signal lamp 15, which is connected in parallel to the electromagnet 31, to illuminate as will be described more fully below.

Accordingly, as will now be apparent, when the yarn F is properly passing through the yarn cleaner 7, capacitor 24 cannot be charged and, therefore, relay 31 is not switched even though contact 13' of switch 13 in FIGURE 1 is closed by actuation of cam 14. This is the case since the open contact 21 of relay 20 serves to interrupt the charging current circuit for capacitor 24.

Now, however, if a yarn rupture occurs, relay 20 is deenergized and contact 21 closes while contact 22 opens. In known manner, the malfunctioning winding station 3 is brought into operable association with a non-illustrated yarn servicing apparatus or disturbance removal apparatus and an attempt to remove the disturbance is initiated. Thereafter, the winding station which again has been placed into rotation, arrives at the zone of checking or testing determined by cam 14 which advantageously follows the automatic disturbance removal apparatus as the circular path of the winding stations and encompasses a sector on the circular path which slightly exceeds the spacing between two neighboring winding stations or locations. If the yarn rupture has been properly remedied, relay 20 of the yarn cleaner 7 will have opened contact 21 so that the charging current circuit of the capacitor 24 remains interrupted or open.

However, if the knotting operation has failed for any reason, or if the yarn, after a 'few meters of withdrawal again breaks therefore closing contact 21, contacts 13 because of its cooperation with switch 13 and cam 14 will close the charging circuit of capacitor 24. Consequently, capacitor 24 will be charged for the duration of the throughpassage time of the winding station 3 along the checking or testing path. If the charging voltage impressed across capacitor 24 exceeds the threshold value of trigger 27, contact 28 closes and serves to illuminate the lamp 15. At the same time, electromagnet 31 is also energized and preferably acts upon a non-illustrated solid cone stop motion device which places the relevant winding station 3 out of operation to thus enable operating personnel to both determine the presence of a disturbance which could not be automatically rectified and to remedy such disturbance manually.

Naturally, it is not prudent to completely charge capacitor 24 during the first unsuccessful attempt at removing a yarn disturbance and thus eliminate the winding station from further servicing by the disturbance removal apparatus. This is the case since a second attempt at correcting the disturbance by the disturbance removal apparatus might be successful. In this regard, experience has shown that attempts should be made three times in succession to remove the disturbance and, only after the third unsuccessful attempt should the charging voltage across capacitor 24 exceed the threshold value of trigger 27.

Accordingly, if the second or third attempt to remove the yarn disturbance proves successful, the yarn F will be properly indicated by the yarn cleaner 7 and contact 21 of relay 20 again would serve to interrupt or open the charging circuit of capacitor 24, capacitor 24 then being shunted by the simultaneous closing of contact 22 of relay 20. As a result, capacitor 24 which has already been partially charged due to previous indication of a yarn disturbance at a winding station, can again discharge via resistor 29, the trigger 27 not being affected. At this point, it might be mentioned that relay 20 does not necessarily have to be controlled by yarn cleaner 7, it is entirely possible, and, in fact is contemplated to switch relay 20 and therefore contacts 21 and 22 by means of the stop bracket 9 or by measuring elements for rotational speed which are arranged at the grooved drum or at the windup bobbin 11. Accordingly, it is possible to utilize any means which is capable of determining the difference be tween a proper or a non-proper operation of a winding station to influence and control relay20.

Capacitor 24 can, if desired, be replaced by other storage elements such as inductances or spring means, and the charging circuit can be closed or connected in a different manner than that described above in reference to the testing path determined by cam 14. In lieu of cam 14, there could be provided, for example, a magnetic rod which cooperates with a magnetically actuable switch instead of switch 13.

A further embodiment for closing the charging circuit for capacitor 24 over a predetermined test path or interval is shown in FIGURE 3. In this embodiment, mechanical elements 13 and 14 are replaced by magnetically actuable switches, for example, protective gas switches, that serve to carry out a contactless control of operation. By referring to FIGURE 3, it will be seen that two permanent magnets 34 and 35 are arranged on the depicted cylinder 33 which corresponds to machine frame 1 of FIGURE 1. Permanent magnets 34 and 35 are elevationally displaced in different planes and offset through an angle 36 in the peripheral direction with respect to one another. The winding stations which revolve in the direction of the arrow 37 each exhibit a respective protective gas switch 38 and 39. Protective gas switch 38 is located in the plane of the magnet 34 whereas protective gas switch 39 is located in the plane of magnet 35 such that these respective gas switches 38 and 39 can each pass through the magnetic field of their associated magnets 34 and 35 and thereby be actuated. The offset arrangement of magnets 34 and 35 through the angle 36 corresponds to the length of the testing path described above, that is the length of cam 14 in FIGURE 1. The protective gas switch 38 is connected in series with a relay 40 across the supply conductors Relay 40 has a self-holding contact 41 and a work contact 13" associated therewith. The protective gas switch 39 is connected in series with a relay 43 across the supply conductors Connected to the supply conductors is a contact 44, which is coupled in series with the self-holding contact 41 and serves to release or de-energize holding relay 40 and consequently open the work contact 13" again.

As will be readily apparent, work contact 13" corresponds to contact 13 of switch 13 in FIGURE 2 to periodically switch in the charging circuit of capacitor 24 during the test path. Accordingly, the circuitry and mode of operation are the same as that considered with respect to FIGURE 2 and no further repetition thereof is necessary.

When utilizing the test path circuit of FIGURE 3, and upon entry of a winding station 3 at the checking path or sector 36, protective gas switch 38 is closed by the magnetic field of magnet 34, relay 40- is energized and, by means of the self-holding contact 41, relay 40 is brought into a self-holding or latching condition whereby work contact 13" remains closed. When the relevant winding station 3 departs from the test sector 36, protective gas switch 39 is closed by the magnetic field of the second magnet 35 and, therefore, relay 43 is energized. Accordingly, contact 44 will be open such that the supply to relay 40 is interrupted, de-energizing relay 40 and opening contact 13".

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that with the control apparatus of the present invention it is possible to obtain optimum conditions at an automatic winding machine with minimum expenditure. The winding machine is capable, at any time, of determining the occurrence of repeated unsuccessful knotting operations at a winding location and for rendering such winding station inoperable or bringing it to a standstill without affecting other winding stations. The automatic winding machine of the present invention is further capable of extinguishing storage signals across capacitor 24 after the completion of a successful disturbance removal operation so as not to influence the contemplated predetermined number of subsequent disturbance removal attempts during later yarn defects.

It should now be apparent that the objects set forth at the outset of this specification have been successfully achieved.

Accordingly, what is claimed is:

1. A control apparatus for each winding station of an automatic winding machine having a plurality of winding stations and a disturbance removal apparatus operable with each winding station, said control apparatus comprising:

monitoring means for monitoring the occurrence of a yarn disturbance;

a power supply;

control element means;

a storage apparatus including a charging circuit incorporating a capacitor; said charging circuit including first and second controlled switch means operative when closed to connect said capacitor to said power supply for charging, said first switch means being closed by said monitoring means when the occurrence of a yarn disturbance is monitored, said second switch means being closed by said control element means;

threshold switch means responsive to a threshold value signal on said capacitor; and

means coupled with said threshold switch means for stopping the relevant winding station.

2. A control apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said control element means includes a mechanical cam arrangement associated with said winding machine.

3. A control apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said control element means includes magnetic control elements associated with said winding machine.

4. A control apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including an extinguishing circuit means selectively connectable across said capacitor; third controlled switch means operative when closed to connect said extinguishing circuit means across said capacitor, said third controlled switch means being closed by said monitoring means upon the correction of a yarn disturbance, said first and third switch means being conjointly operated whereby when one of said first and third switch means is closed, the other switch means is open.

5. A control apparatus for each winding station of an automatic winding machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of winding stations are disposed upon a rotatable circular table mounted on a machine frame, said disturbance removal apparatus being disposed adjacent said winding stations outside the circular path of travel thereof; and wherein said control element means is operative to close said second switch means of said control apparatus for each winding station over a checking path of said circular path of travel of said winding stations, said checking path being limited by said control element means and being disposed after the location of said disturbance removal apparatus in the direction of movement of said winding stations.

6. A control apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said control element means includes a mechanical cam disposed at said machine frame to form said checking path of said circular path of travel of said winding stations and a cam follower element for each winding station operably associated with said mecahnical cam to close said second switch means within said control appa ratus of a relevant winding station when said relevant winding station passes through said checking path of travel.

7. A control apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said control element means includes magnets arranged at said machine frame which limit said checking path of said circular path of travel of said winding stations; and magnetically responsive switch means including a holding relay for each winding station cooperating with said magnets to close said second switch means within said control apparatus of a relevant winding station when said relevant winding station passes through said checking path of travel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,800,287 7/1957 Reiners et al. 24235.5 3,078,054 2/1963 Furst 24235.5 3,304,015 2/1967 Jenny 24235.6 3,405,877 10/1968 Jenny 242-355 NATHAN L. MINTZ, Primary Examiner 

